The Green Bay Packers will take on the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday in the biggest game of the year for both teams. The winner will still have a realistic path to the playoffs while the loser will start looking to their draft position next year.
Both teams have dealt with a plethora of injuries all season long, and that was no different this week for the Packers. In fact, one 24-year-old start has had the future of his career come into question with his latest injury.
Green Bay Packers Starting Cornerback Eric Stokes Has His Career Come Into Question After Latest Injury Prior To Matchup Vs. The Minnesota Vikings
Zachary Jacobson of Packers Report highlighted the latest news surrounding Stokes:
After just two games in which he played 110 defensive snaps, Eric Stokes is right back to square one.
The Green Bay Packers added the third-year cornerback to their injury report on Saturday with another hamstring issue, declaring him out for Sunday night’s pivotal clash with the Minnesota Vikings. He wasn’t listed on their final injury report on Friday, so it’s likely that Stokes sustained the injury during Saturday’s walkthrough.
It’s the latest obstruction in what has been a tumultuous and trying season for Stokes, whose rookie campaign in 2021 marked the last time he had performed at a starting-caliber level.
Not only is this the third time he’s wounded his hamstring since training camp, but the devastating pair of injuries he endured last season in a Nov. 6 game against the Detroit Lions — Stokes missed the remainder of the regular season with a torn meniscus and Lisfranc injury — have prevented him from truly getting back to form.
The first hamstring issue occurred during his ramp-up period in training camp, prompting the Packers to place him on the physically unable-to-perform list to begin the season. He returned for the Oct. 22 meeting with the Denver Broncos, but after just four snaps on special teams, he aggravated the injury and was sent to injured reserve.
Stokes was activated on Dec. 16 — one day before he would play 76 percent of the defensive snaps against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
What Is The Future Of Stokes?
Despite being a first-round pick, Stokes has played in only 28 games during his three seasons with the team. Packers must decide whether to exercise his fifth-year option by the first week of May if they intend to keep him in the secondary in the long run.
His inability to stay healthy has not only made analysts question whether or not if he’ll ever play for the Packers again, but also if he’ll ever play in the league again. Stokes has suffered multiple significant injuries as well as the same lingering hamstring injuries.
In 2021, Stokes had a very strong rookie season. After both Kevin King and Jaire Alexander were injured, he was thrust into starting duty sooner than expected. While playing well in coverage, he broke up 14 passes as a rookie.
Using pro-football-reference.com data, opposing quarterbacks completed just 49.5 percent of their passes to receivers covered by Stokes, and their quarterback rating was just 71.3. However, since his rookie season he hasn’t been able to consistently stay on the field. Stokes will certainly be a name to watch this off-season when it comes time to make decisions about the future of this team.
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